Posted on 08/18/2008 11:44:56 AM PDT by buccaneer81
NBC Questions Kobe Bryant’s Pride of Being on Team USA
2008-08-17 -By Warner Todd Huston
In a recent interview with USA Olympics basketball team member Kobe Bryant, NBC Sports reporter Chris Collinsworth seemed to question Kobe’s patriotism when the player said that he was proud to wear the team USA uniform. Wondering if it was “cool” to be proud of being on Team USA, Collinsworth seemed to surprise even Bryant with the temerity of the question. Why Collinsworth wouldn’t think it would be “cool” to be proud to be on the American Olympic basketball team is anyone’s guess.
In a portion of the interview, Kobe began to say how thrilled he was to get his Team USA uniform and that he “just stared at it” for a while in awe. Collinsworth followed that heartwarming display of patriotism with a jaw dropping series of questions. Worse, he asked these questions with an absurd smirk stealing across his face, seeming to think that he was about to join Kobe in cynicism over the evil America with his doubting Thomas questions.
Transcript:
Collinsworth: Where does the patriotism come from inside of you? Historically, what is it?
Kobe: Well, you know it’s just our country, it’s… we believe is the greatest country in the world. It has given us so many great opportunities, and it’s just a sense of pride that you have; that you say ‘You know what? Our country is the best!’
Collinsworth: Is that a ‘cool’ thing to say, in this day and age? That you love your country, and that you’re fighting for the red, white and blue? It seems sort of like a day gone by.
Kobe: No, it’s a cool thing for me to say. I feel great about it, and I’m not ashamed to say it. I mean, this is a tremendous honor.
Apparently Collinsworth was shocked that a black man could be at all patriotic and proud of being a representative of his country. But the real question here isn’t if Kobe is proud to wear the Team USA uniform, but why Chris Collinsworth so automatically thought it wasn’t “cool” to be proud of being an American “in this day and age”?
I mean, what the heck was this “historically, what is it” question? Is Collinsworth saying that it is impossible for a black man to be patriotic? Apparently so.
Maybe Chris Collinsworth has delusions of being the next failed sports dude turned Keith Olbermann over at NBC?
All I can say is, “way to go Kobe!”
Wow...I never thought I would have a positive reaction to anything Kobe; yet here it is.
What is it with these MSM reporters - un-American to be proud to be an American?????
I want to live to see the day when all those idiots fade away into the sunset ... I get 95% of my news over the Internet, rarely watch TV news - only when at someone’s house and they have it on ... never read the print media ...
Yep, I saw that interview. Pleasantly surprised.
Wow...I never thought I would have a positive reaction to anything Kobe; yet somehow, Kobe has impressed me with his answer. I’m glad Kobe stuck up for America! Boo to Chris Collinsworth.
My husband showed it to me...I typically turn off anything Kobe, but he promised I’d be impressed and he was right!
Here’s a good question for NBC: Does Bob Kostas EVER laugh?
Yes... twice.
The sports media is one of the reasons I abandoned watching professional sports. That and the social engineering of the teams and coaching staffs.
So how many Gold Medals does Chris Commi_worth have???
Kobe Bryant - ‘You know what? Our country is the best!’
Collinsworth must just think all people are as unpatriotic as Obama and the NBC crew he is surrounded by.
I saw the interview. I’ve seen Collinsworth criticized several times here over his “questioning” Kobe’s answer. My impression was not negative toward Collinsworth at all. I saw his “question” as a sympathetic attempt to allow Kobe to expand or elaborate on his answer. Just can’t jump on the “Collinsworth is an idiot” bandwagon.
Kobe really impressed me in that interview.
As for Collinsworth ... I didn’t get quite the negative impression of his questioning that some did. It didn’t come across to me as him smirking at Kobe’s patriotism. I thought he was just trying to highlight Kobe’s responses as something unusual and refreshing to hear these days.
I could just be naive ... but I didn’t take it in a negative sense.
“Apparently Collinsworth was shocked that a black man could be at all patriotic and proud of being a representative of his country”
Sounds the only black guy Collinsworth has ever been exposed to is Obama.
Didn’t he (Collinsworth) play in the NFL? Guess he went home to shower after the games.
And his patriotism was sincere, heartfelt and eloquent.
These media types need to get over themselves.
Collinsworth has been drinking from the NBC KoolAid fountain for several years now.
Whatever he was when he played for Cincy and lived in Ft. Thomas, he’s a different guy now.
They can have him...
I saw that, he looked like he was going to stand up and slap him. He could not believe that someone would ask him that.
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